Will Brexit Impact The Healthcare Industry?

Although Britain’s final exit from the EU won’t happen for at least another two years, there has been an enormous amount of speculation about its impacts on the economy, businesses, travel and many more industries across the UK. The healthcare industry is one area which is particularly under pressure at the moment and its ability to cope post-Brexit has been widely debated.

The NHS is currently under a great deal of strain. There is predicted to be a huge shortage of doctors and nurses in the near future. Previously, the UK has recruited doctors from other EU countries in order to fill the staff gaps. It is possible that the ability to recruit professionals from these countries may be negatively impacted by Brexit- particularly as immigration has been listed as one of the main reasons for people wanting to leave.

One of the most influential parts of the Leave campaigns manifesto was that leaving the EU could generate additional funding for the NHS. It is not yet clear whether the economic instability which followed the announcement of the Brexit vote will continue. If it does, the impact on the NHS could be significant. Cuts to already struggling services would need to be made, which would reduce the quality of care provided. It could also force the privatisation of many services currently provided for free under the NHS.

Many people have expressed concerns about whether they will be able to access healthcare in the EU after Brexit. Currently, all EU residents have access to a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) which allows access to healthcare and reduces the cost of treatment abroad. This agreement will need to be renegotiated in order to decide how access is granted.

The appeal of medical tourism could be set to increase following Brexit. This may particularly be the case if certain treatments become privatised. Cosmetic surgery in other EU countries is already popular because it is more affordable. The availability of internationally qualified surgeons at safe practices, like Longevita, means that it has become more desirable for people to travel for cosmetic surgery.

Rules and regulations are unlikely to be impacted by Brexit. Currently, medical products must meet UK manufacturing laws which are based on EU Directives. Regardless of the negotiations made, the UK manufacturers would still sell products across the EU, and EU products will still be imported, which means that medical manufacturing regulations will remain the same.

At present, the UK and the EU coordinate to tackle and pandemics and health threats. In the future, the UK will have to negotiate a means of communicating with each individual member of the EU to share news of any outbreaks. This will be considerably more time consuming and could reduce the amount of up-to-date news the UK receives. It is highly likely that a more efficient system will be established; however this could take years to implement.

If you are looking to find out more about the advantages of having cosmetic surgery abroad, then don’t hesitate to get in touch with the experts at Longevita.